This is an excellent article. I wish that it could be shared in the Black Studies Department at UNO. They might share it at the law schools to help educate future friends of the system how to clean up their systems. They could help the students to understand that those members have children and grandchildren who are part of the Nebraska institutions today. We should establish a questionnaire in the law enforcement and the judicial system to see if their parents were members of the Klan in Nebraskans in the early 1900's. Many would be surprised looking at the apartheid nature of the state and local governments.
Its not just anti Catholic, those opposing's this issue are blatant racists. Its past time to point this out and make them defend their racism.
North High was a crappy school in the 1960's and 1970's when I was in school. It is even crappier today even after spending millions to improve it. The state Dept of Education and the NE techers union should be brought to task for this. The teachers union is pushing the repeal of this act. WHY? Its a racist organization that cares not one ounce about any children let alone minority children. If it did they would not have put this on the ballot but encouraged people to leave North High and find a better school.
Is the teachers union not aware of these numbers? Oh they know, they just want a captive audience and a permanent underclass of citizen. Gotta keep dem people on the gobnent plantation don't ya know. I mean educated people, people with an ability to think, read do marth are a threat to these people with their human ownership ideology.
That money they claim is government money is NOT - it is OUR money - taken from us under duress, with the threat of eviction from the place we live and at the point of a gun if we refuse.
Our side wants to continuously argue facts and we continue to loose. We have to start using emotional arguments as we are all emotional beings. Stating the truth that these people are racist and do not want minorities to have a chance at a better education must be pointed out and soon. They used the argument the rich will benefit - newsflash the rich already do not send their children to these shit hole government schools. This act is an attempt to let the poorer people have a chance at a better education. To deny them that is racist and elitist.
While this attempt to stop this act has been tainted by anti religious statements by the teachers union, it does work with some people as the government indoctrination center have beat that horse for decades - church - state separation - never mind the belief in the state religion. However a far more encompassing argument by us is to include the blatant racism of the people pushing this repeal attempt. It paints them with a truth brush and that paint no matter how much they rub or throw thinner or mineral spirits on to take it off will not wash off.
As a side note. How many people seen petitioners? I seen one at a Bakers on North 30th 1 time standing 50 - 60 feet from the door which nobody walks in from that way.
Andrew... don't you think it's incredibly lazy to accuse Opportunity Scholarship opposition of Anti-Catholicism without providing any actual evidence? A synopsis of your article could be read as such...
1. Opposition to the scholarship exists.
2. Not incredibly compelling reasons to ignore the underlying constitutional issue of the scholarships.
3. Brief reference to historical Irish Catholic settlement in Nebraska (why ignore the Czechs brother?).
4. The Klu Klux Klan previously existed in Nebraska! FTR, yes... the Klu Klux Klan is/was guilty of anti-Catholicism among a myriad of other disgusting bigotries.
5. Conclusion: See! This other group existed here in Nebraska. Obviously, the opposition to scholarships is Anti-Catholic.
At no point in your article did you even attempt to make an association/correlation between the opposition and Anti-Catholicism. You have left the reader to make that association themselves based on the simple historical existence of the KKK in Nebraska.
Could you at least point to an event, article, word, or action made by supporters of the ballot initiative that is explicitly anti-Catholic? Could you point to anything that could be implicitly interpreted as anti-Catholic?
Thank you for the civil response. What is the enlightened position in opposing the Opportunity Scholarship Act?
You can make whatever case you want, but the end result in repealing the act is to take away opportunities from poor children which makes the motives for repeal suspect and without reason. The main argument I have heard is the Act violates the separation of “Church and State” and was a motive for people to sign the petition for repeal. This is why I referenced the anti-Catholicism of President Grant and Congressman Blaine, and the work of the Institute for Justice which has opposed the Blaine laws. Perhaps you have acclimated and grown accustomed to such prejudices that they have become too ubiquitous for you to notice, let alone, understand their impact. However, in the Sunday Omaha World of February 18, Pulse writer Kenneth D. Keith, Ph.D of Lincoln, alluded to Nebraska’s Blaine law in opposing the Act, and did so as his first argument, and specifically mentioned “parochial schools”.
I appreciate you taking the time to provide a direct response to my critique. I would be more than happy to spend the time addressing your question and points raised. However, I can't help but feel that your question is an intentional deflection to avoid answering my original challenge to present evidence of anti-Catholic bigotry coming from groups supporting the ballot initiative.
I will concede that knowing the motivations of Grant and Blaine can be useful in providing historical context to the inclusion of the wording in state constitutions (provided, your sources aren't ahistorical and subjective). However, I don't find them to be compelling arguments that support your original accusation that the initiative is driven by anti-Catholic bigotry.
Whatever the problems may be over the Opportunity Scholarship Act, the matter should be handled by elected representatives in the legislature. Instead, the approach has been to repeal the Act in its entirety by petition and therefore involves common prejudices.
I cited a Public Pulse letter as proof of the discrimination against Catholics. You choose not to accept this as evidence. Well, this leads to but one conclusion. The efforts to repeal the Act are offensively racist and a deliberate effort to obstruct minority children from obtaining better educational opportunities. George Wallace would approve the repeal of the Act.
Excuse me while I roll my eyes at your invocation and subsequent mind reading of George Wallace's ghost to deflect from your own weak arguments. Please also forgive me for not allowing you to gish-gallop away from responding to my original critique that you have made accusations without providing evidence. I still hold this to be my position.
Assuming you were arguing in good faith, I re-read your original response regarding the Public Pulse article. I was confused about your objection to the word "parochial schools" as it is commonly used in Nebraska as a broader term for "religious schools" and isn't an exclusive reference to "Catholic schools" specifically. Maybe we have opposing definitions, but it's not uncommon in Nebraska for it to be used as a reference to Protestant schools.
I'm going to be honest Andrew. I find it very difficult to believe a person with your level of education, journalistic background, and success would devalue yourself so much that you would stoop to such flimsy arguments. This leads me to believe you are quite aware of what you are doing here. You don't actually believe the arguments you are presenting. I simply cannot believe you are that obtuse without coming to the conclusion that it's intentional. You are MUCH smarter than that and both you and I know it.
Perhaps you can assuage my suspicions about your intentions by going on record? Would you be willing to confirm or deny that you have any financial incentive (outside of your blog readership) to advocate against the ballot initiative or in the affirmative for School Choice in Nebraska? Do you have any personal dealings or relationships with the Ricketts or Devos family you would like to disclose?
I certainly welcome your interest in Nebraska politics, but I also can't help that I find it peculiar... for a lack of a better term. Please feel free to educate me.
You are either being disingenuous or you simply are not well acquainted with Nebraska demographics. The only parochial high schools in Nebraska are all Catholic. Here is the list:
Good luck on finding any Jewish, Muslim, or Hindu, let alone Protestant schools in Nebraska, as there are very, very few.
Furthermore, now you suggest I have a “financial incentive” regarding parochial schools which are non-profit organizations which I find most ironic, as the whole point of repealing the Act is to deprive children of opportunities. Who is really stealing the candy from the baby to suit their own interests?
I hope you realize you are only steps away from accusing me of being an “agent of Rome” as so much anti-Catholic rhetoric does, to which my response is in Latin: Ignorantia tua magna est.
Whether in English or Latin, I'm not at all impressed with your ad hominem attacks. I imagine that sort of thing is much more effective in person. You must be aware those attacks say much more about you than they do about me. What I think you have revealed is the unearned pretentious superiority complex of someone that gets easily duped by Sam Harris's monotone, NPR-esque word-smithing without ever noticing his genocidal and virulent Islamophobia.
Your accusations of racism I find particularly laughable after learning about your previous work as an acolyte for Charle's Murray's work in "The Bell Curve". Honestly, I'm afraid to ask if you've altered your commitment to evangelizing the masses about the utility of phrenology.
I would have liked to answer to every single one of your points. My error was that I took you at your word and expected civil debate prior to investigation. That's on me brother.
I do have to thank you for giving me a blast from my own past regarding your "agent of Rome" remark. The last time anything like that crossed my mind was a youth-group discussion at my hometown Parish's rectory. It happened thirty years ago but stemmed from one of those weirdo anti-Catholic pamphlets handed to me by a misguided but well-intentioned born-again neighbor. The pamphlet contained some "dual loyalty" and "satanic-panic" nonsense not all that dissimilar than antisemitic "Elders of Zion" conspiracy theory. I found it to be more creepy than it was compelling TBH.
I do want to assure you that I'm not a denialist of historical Catholic persecution. I'm sure based on the geographical and generational differences of our youth, our experiences with it have differed greatly. I have to imagine also, your Irish Catholic heritage and the oppression your family must have endured plays a part in how you've internalized it. I don't wish to invalidate any of that.
Personally though, the Catholic-victimhood thing has always been a bit of a mysterious enigma to me. Outside of a few off-hand remarks here and there from evangelical school acquaintances, it's not something I ever noticed too much growing up in Eastern Nebraska.
Anyway, I've written too much responding to someone who I imagine isn't interested in my opinion. I do want to point out that you never did answer (IMO) to my original challenge. As well, you never did explicitly deny or explain your interest in School Choice here in Nebraska... financial or otherwise.
I will leave you with some advice. You probably should spend some time outside of whatever wealthy elite weirdo cool kids club you and other IDW-adjacent types seem to have trapped yourselves in. Maybe I'm wrong, and you guys don't take yourselves seriously and have a good chuckle about the smoke you blow up the public's ass about this stuff. My fear is y'all are at the clubhouse getting high on your own supply with Jordan Peterson and gang completely unaware of how batcrap crazy you sound.
Anyway, get out of your comfort zone and pierce your filter bubble brother. "Nemo mortalium omnibus horis sapit" -Pliny the Elder (Yes, I googled it).
Boy, is this ever an inflammatory piece of propaganda . Go read the Constitution and European history; then explain your dishonest comment re: separation of Church and State.
I heard tRump’s rambling, slurring word salad on “christian broadcasting” in Nashville—he sure knows how to play to the evangelical audience! Never mind that he is a rapist, a Fraud and a Russian agent—all he has to do is say “god” and the hypocrites clap. There are no “anti-Catholics here. If you really respected your religion, you wouldn’t use it to exploit your audience.
1t amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
So it prohibits the establishment of a government religion. Not a word or even a syllable on separation of church and state. The government has turned into a religion. It's supporters are fervent in their belief government can solve problems no matter the problem, just steal more money. Enslave more people, take rights away . Most religions ask for donations, unlike government that requires them at the point of a gun.
All that are truly concerned about education should support this act and vote against repealing it. Government is a cult, the members and the religious leaders will not allow people to flee. They have to do what's right in secret and hide. Otherwise they will be pumished
Well, since I don't do drugs, I am not aware of their religion. Nevertheless, as my Chicano friends said we don't accept all immigrants who are going to be harmful to our community. You can have those folks in your camp because they are doing the work for the oppressors.
As a German American I demand reparations!
We are all slaves - to the government. Maybe just taking the shackles off?
The Klan kicked out my mom and her family in TX, when they found out my family is Catholic. The hatred is real.
This is an excellent article. I wish that it could be shared in the Black Studies Department at UNO. They might share it at the law schools to help educate future friends of the system how to clean up their systems. They could help the students to understand that those members have children and grandchildren who are part of the Nebraska institutions today. We should establish a questionnaire in the law enforcement and the judicial system to see if their parents were members of the Klan in Nebraskans in the early 1900's. Many would be surprised looking at the apartheid nature of the state and local governments.
Its not just anti Catholic, those opposing's this issue are blatant racists. Its past time to point this out and make them defend their racism.
North High was a crappy school in the 1960's and 1970's when I was in school. It is even crappier today even after spending millions to improve it. The state Dept of Education and the NE techers union should be brought to task for this. The teachers union is pushing the repeal of this act. WHY? Its a racist organization that cares not one ounce about any children let alone minority children. If it did they would not have put this on the ballot but encouraged people to leave North High and find a better school.
https://www.publicschoolreview.com/omaha-north-magnet-high-school-profile
Minority Enrollment: 74%
Graduation Rate: 69% (Btm 50%)
Overall Testing Rank: Bottom 50%
Math Proficiency: 21% (Btm 50%)
Reading Proficiency: 25% (Btm 50%)
Is the teachers union not aware of these numbers? Oh they know, they just want a captive audience and a permanent underclass of citizen. Gotta keep dem people on the gobnent plantation don't ya know. I mean educated people, people with an ability to think, read do marth are a threat to these people with their human ownership ideology.
That money they claim is government money is NOT - it is OUR money - taken from us under duress, with the threat of eviction from the place we live and at the point of a gun if we refuse.
Our side wants to continuously argue facts and we continue to loose. We have to start using emotional arguments as we are all emotional beings. Stating the truth that these people are racist and do not want minorities to have a chance at a better education must be pointed out and soon. They used the argument the rich will benefit - newsflash the rich already do not send their children to these shit hole government schools. This act is an attempt to let the poorer people have a chance at a better education. To deny them that is racist and elitist.
While this attempt to stop this act has been tainted by anti religious statements by the teachers union, it does work with some people as the government indoctrination center have beat that horse for decades - church - state separation - never mind the belief in the state religion. However a far more encompassing argument by us is to include the blatant racism of the people pushing this repeal attempt. It paints them with a truth brush and that paint no matter how much they rub or throw thinner or mineral spirits on to take it off will not wash off.
As a side note. How many people seen petitioners? I seen one at a Bakers on North 30th 1 time standing 50 - 60 feet from the door which nobody walks in from that way.
Let me give you a bone to gnaw on.
Are the drug dealers in North Omaha Protestant or Catholic?
After all, the mouse trap needs bait.
Andrew... don't you think it's incredibly lazy to accuse Opportunity Scholarship opposition of Anti-Catholicism without providing any actual evidence? A synopsis of your article could be read as such...
1. Opposition to the scholarship exists.
2. Not incredibly compelling reasons to ignore the underlying constitutional issue of the scholarships.
3. Brief reference to historical Irish Catholic settlement in Nebraska (why ignore the Czechs brother?).
4. The Klu Klux Klan previously existed in Nebraska! FTR, yes... the Klu Klux Klan is/was guilty of anti-Catholicism among a myriad of other disgusting bigotries.
5. Conclusion: See! This other group existed here in Nebraska. Obviously, the opposition to scholarships is Anti-Catholic.
At no point in your article did you even attempt to make an association/correlation between the opposition and Anti-Catholicism. You have left the reader to make that association themselves based on the simple historical existence of the KKK in Nebraska.
Could you at least point to an event, article, word, or action made by supporters of the ballot initiative that is explicitly anti-Catholic? Could you point to anything that could be implicitly interpreted as anti-Catholic?
Help me out here brother.
Tim,
Thank you for the civil response. What is the enlightened position in opposing the Opportunity Scholarship Act?
You can make whatever case you want, but the end result in repealing the act is to take away opportunities from poor children which makes the motives for repeal suspect and without reason. The main argument I have heard is the Act violates the separation of “Church and State” and was a motive for people to sign the petition for repeal. This is why I referenced the anti-Catholicism of President Grant and Congressman Blaine, and the work of the Institute for Justice which has opposed the Blaine laws. Perhaps you have acclimated and grown accustomed to such prejudices that they have become too ubiquitous for you to notice, let alone, understand their impact. However, in the Sunday Omaha World of February 18, Pulse writer Kenneth D. Keith, Ph.D of Lincoln, alluded to Nebraska’s Blaine law in opposing the Act, and did so as his first argument, and specifically mentioned “parochial schools”.
Andrew,
I appreciate you taking the time to provide a direct response to my critique. I would be more than happy to spend the time addressing your question and points raised. However, I can't help but feel that your question is an intentional deflection to avoid answering my original challenge to present evidence of anti-Catholic bigotry coming from groups supporting the ballot initiative.
I will concede that knowing the motivations of Grant and Blaine can be useful in providing historical context to the inclusion of the wording in state constitutions (provided, your sources aren't ahistorical and subjective). However, I don't find them to be compelling arguments that support your original accusation that the initiative is driven by anti-Catholic bigotry.
Tim,
Whatever the problems may be over the Opportunity Scholarship Act, the matter should be handled by elected representatives in the legislature. Instead, the approach has been to repeal the Act in its entirety by petition and therefore involves common prejudices.
I cited a Public Pulse letter as proof of the discrimination against Catholics. You choose not to accept this as evidence. Well, this leads to but one conclusion. The efforts to repeal the Act are offensively racist and a deliberate effort to obstruct minority children from obtaining better educational opportunities. George Wallace would approve the repeal of the Act.
Andrew,
Excuse me while I roll my eyes at your invocation and subsequent mind reading of George Wallace's ghost to deflect from your own weak arguments. Please also forgive me for not allowing you to gish-gallop away from responding to my original critique that you have made accusations without providing evidence. I still hold this to be my position.
Assuming you were arguing in good faith, I re-read your original response regarding the Public Pulse article. I was confused about your objection to the word "parochial schools" as it is commonly used in Nebraska as a broader term for "religious schools" and isn't an exclusive reference to "Catholic schools" specifically. Maybe we have opposing definitions, but it's not uncommon in Nebraska for it to be used as a reference to Protestant schools.
I'm going to be honest Andrew. I find it very difficult to believe a person with your level of education, journalistic background, and success would devalue yourself so much that you would stoop to such flimsy arguments. This leads me to believe you are quite aware of what you are doing here. You don't actually believe the arguments you are presenting. I simply cannot believe you are that obtuse without coming to the conclusion that it's intentional. You are MUCH smarter than that and both you and I know it.
Perhaps you can assuage my suspicions about your intentions by going on record? Would you be willing to confirm or deny that you have any financial incentive (outside of your blog readership) to advocate against the ballot initiative or in the affirmative for School Choice in Nebraska? Do you have any personal dealings or relationships with the Ricketts or Devos family you would like to disclose?
I certainly welcome your interest in Nebraska politics, but I also can't help that I find it peculiar... for a lack of a better term. Please feel free to educate me.
Tim,
You are either being disingenuous or you simply are not well acquainted with Nebraska demographics. The only parochial high schools in Nebraska are all Catholic. Here is the list:
https://high-schools.com/directory/ne/reports/catholic/
Good luck on finding any Jewish, Muslim, or Hindu, let alone Protestant schools in Nebraska, as there are very, very few.
Furthermore, now you suggest I have a “financial incentive” regarding parochial schools which are non-profit organizations which I find most ironic, as the whole point of repealing the Act is to deprive children of opportunities. Who is really stealing the candy from the baby to suit their own interests?
I hope you realize you are only steps away from accusing me of being an “agent of Rome” as so much anti-Catholic rhetoric does, to which my response is in Latin: Ignorantia tua magna est.
Andrew,
Whether in English or Latin, I'm not at all impressed with your ad hominem attacks. I imagine that sort of thing is much more effective in person. You must be aware those attacks say much more about you than they do about me. What I think you have revealed is the unearned pretentious superiority complex of someone that gets easily duped by Sam Harris's monotone, NPR-esque word-smithing without ever noticing his genocidal and virulent Islamophobia.
Your accusations of racism I find particularly laughable after learning about your previous work as an acolyte for Charle's Murray's work in "The Bell Curve". Honestly, I'm afraid to ask if you've altered your commitment to evangelizing the masses about the utility of phrenology.
I would have liked to answer to every single one of your points. My error was that I took you at your word and expected civil debate prior to investigation. That's on me brother.
I do have to thank you for giving me a blast from my own past regarding your "agent of Rome" remark. The last time anything like that crossed my mind was a youth-group discussion at my hometown Parish's rectory. It happened thirty years ago but stemmed from one of those weirdo anti-Catholic pamphlets handed to me by a misguided but well-intentioned born-again neighbor. The pamphlet contained some "dual loyalty" and "satanic-panic" nonsense not all that dissimilar than antisemitic "Elders of Zion" conspiracy theory. I found it to be more creepy than it was compelling TBH.
I do want to assure you that I'm not a denialist of historical Catholic persecution. I'm sure based on the geographical and generational differences of our youth, our experiences with it have differed greatly. I have to imagine also, your Irish Catholic heritage and the oppression your family must have endured plays a part in how you've internalized it. I don't wish to invalidate any of that.
Personally though, the Catholic-victimhood thing has always been a bit of a mysterious enigma to me. Outside of a few off-hand remarks here and there from evangelical school acquaintances, it's not something I ever noticed too much growing up in Eastern Nebraska.
Anyway, I've written too much responding to someone who I imagine isn't interested in my opinion. I do want to point out that you never did answer (IMO) to my original challenge. As well, you never did explicitly deny or explain your interest in School Choice here in Nebraska... financial or otherwise.
I will leave you with some advice. You probably should spend some time outside of whatever wealthy elite weirdo cool kids club you and other IDW-adjacent types seem to have trapped yourselves in. Maybe I'm wrong, and you guys don't take yourselves seriously and have a good chuckle about the smoke you blow up the public's ass about this stuff. My fear is y'all are at the clubhouse getting high on your own supply with Jordan Peterson and gang completely unaware of how batcrap crazy you sound.
Anyway, get out of your comfort zone and pierce your filter bubble brother. "Nemo mortalium omnibus horis sapit" -Pliny the Elder (Yes, I googled it).
Boy, is this ever an inflammatory piece of propaganda . Go read the Constitution and European history; then explain your dishonest comment re: separation of Church and State.
I heard tRump’s rambling, slurring word salad on “christian broadcasting” in Nashville—he sure knows how to play to the evangelical audience! Never mind that he is a rapist, a Fraud and a Russian agent—all he has to do is say “god” and the hypocrites clap. There are no “anti-Catholics here. If you really respected your religion, you wouldn’t use it to exploit your audience.
1t amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
So it prohibits the establishment of a government religion. Not a word or even a syllable on separation of church and state. The government has turned into a religion. It's supporters are fervent in their belief government can solve problems no matter the problem, just steal more money. Enslave more people, take rights away . Most religions ask for donations, unlike government that requires them at the point of a gun.
All that are truly concerned about education should support this act and vote against repealing it. Government is a cult, the members and the religious leaders will not allow people to flee. They have to do what's right in secret and hide. Otherwise they will be pumished
Well, since I don't do drugs, I am not aware of their religion. Nevertheless, as my Chicano friends said we don't accept all immigrants who are going to be harmful to our community. You can have those folks in your camp because they are doing the work for the oppressors.
I will explain in a later post.